Title: Followers of Jesus / Matthew 8:18-22
words to enter
The Apostle John recorded the mysterious revelation God gave to him on the island of Patmos, saying:
“Blessed are those who read and hear the words of this prophecy, and those who do what is written in them, for the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3)
Today we are blessed to read this word of God, which is God's revelation. Also, they are blessed because they can hear the word preached through the servants. Moreover, we are the ones who keep this word, so we have a greater blessing.
Please believe that you are blessed because you can come to church like this today and read the word of God, you are blessed because you can hear it, and you are blessed because you can practice the word. I didn't say that seeing is a blessing. I didn't say that knowing is a blessing. Believe not what you are trying to see, believe not what you are trying to know.
What would you do if you saw it? What if you knew ?
Believe the words that Jesus prophesied through the prophet Isaiah that He bore the weakness of the weak and bore the sickness of the sick. Even today, if you believe in the word that the Lord will heal the sick, cast out demons from those possessed by demons, and heal the sick while fulfilling these words, you are blessed.
After seeing the words of God that Jesus taught, healing the sick and casting out demons, many people followed Jesus and wanted to become disciples. Not because they believed in Jesus as the Messiah, but because they saw a miracle.
Even today, many people flock to perform mystical Hanil (miracle) that deviate from common thoughts. I want to follow him and become his disciple.
Today we have something to be clear about.
First, I need to know clearly who I want to follow.
Rather than seeing and following the strange things that person does, you need to know what kind of person is doing it. Rather than seeing and following a mysterious task, we need to know exactly who the person doing the work is and where the original power to do it comes from. We need to know whether it is from God or from Satan.
The scribe in verse 19 says that he will follow the one who heals the sick and drives out demons, without knowing who it is.
The scribe may have thought so. Since I am confident in learning, I will be able to learn by following that person named Jesus, so that I can become popular with many people, gain fame, and earn a lot of money. So he confidently came to Jesus and said, "Teacher, wherever you go, I will follow you."
How did Jesus respond?
“Jesus said to them, Foxes have dens, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
It tells you to think about the price you will have to pay before you try to follow me. Jesus said these words because he saw his heart. In a word, don't think and follow me with other thoughts. The beasts of the field have their own dwelling place, but I do not have it. I, who you call my teacher, also have nowhere to lay my head, so what about you who follow me? Will you still follow me?
In Jesus' answer, verse 20 suggests that the scribe's purpose in following him is wrong. And he gave him time to think about what it would be like to follow him.
Jesus wants all of God's chosen people to follow Him. He also told me to follow me. It is because you are the only way to salvation and the way to gain life.
John 14:6
“Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.”
Jesus knew that the scribe's idea of following him was wrong, but he did not reject him and told him that he had to be prepared to follow me.
Today we come to Jesus and pray like this and that, please, we will. I will follow. However, the Lord is giving us the absurd but true answer that we never thought of, "Foxes have dens, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." The Lord thinks of us and gives the right answer. But why is there no answer even when we pray? Why doesn't God answer my prayers? Even though the Lord has clearly answered us, we begin to complain and grumble.
There is a saying. 'I have a heart for jetbop rather than flame.'
If you are following Jesus because of what you gain through Jesus rather than believing in Him, Jesus will give you a wrong answer that does not match our thoughts today.
If you say you will follow Jesus with thoughts that are not in line with the will of Jesus, today, Jesus tells you that it is not.
If we follow Jesus with regard to what we eat, wear, and drink, the Lord says, seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to us.
Matthew 16:24
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
If you say, Lord, make it great, if you want to become great, become a servant. Teach me how to be a servant when I say, Lord, make my children number one. When you say, “Let me be the one to be served,” he says, you must be the one who serves first.
Matthew 20:26-27
“Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your servant.”
One of the disciples who followed Jesus had a family problem, and after resolving the problem, He says that he will follow Him again.
Matthew 8:21
“Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, allow me to go first and bury my father.”
To this disciple's words, Jesus replies:
Matthew 8:22
“Jesus said to them, Let the dead bury their dead, and follow me.”
How should we who follow Jesus today receive these words? The modern Bible translates this verse as follows:
Matthew 8:22
Then Jesus said to him. “Entrust the burial of the dead to the spiritually dead, and follow me.”
If you decide to follow me, you must be my follower no matter what.
The emphasis in this verse is that you follow me.
What we believe is that Jesus, who has God as his Father, who gave you to have parents, to have children, and to honor your parents, cannot give you the wrong answer.
How can we understand all the words of Jesus who came to this earth as the Word became flesh.
Even today, when we prepare a boat for Jesus and are just about to leave, we do not try to follow him because of our fears and worries.
The children are still too young, so please wait until they grow up, I will let them go home. I will work hard when I get my house set up. Can't it be because of this? I can't go because of that. yes you are busy
Luke writes more of these words.
Luke 9:62
“Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
closing words
As the scribe confessed that we will follow Jesus, we will also follow Jesus today. I will live by the word It is very natural to confess. But when the Lord sees us willing to follow Him, we are concerned. It is sad to see the many things you have to pay in order to be born again, to become a child of God, and to become a disciple.
This is even more so because when we come forward with the wrong thoughts, there are as many things that we have to throw away as much as we come out, the pain we have to experience and the things we have to pay for.
Even if you follow Jesus like a disciple, when Jesus tells you where to go, if you say that you cannot go for one reason or another, the Lord is saying that no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.
Romans 8:16-18
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God; and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, for we must suffer with him in order to be glorified with him. The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us.”
We believe that by believing in the Lord, we will suffer together with the Lord, but we will also receive incomparable glory.